The Iraq War hits the 15th year anniversary in a matter of days and the
ongoing war was brought to the world by so many -- most of whom have
never faced any real accountability. Take US Senator Dianne Feinstein.
From the state of California, she voted to support the war. Opposing
the war was no problem in California. Barbara Boxer, for instance, was
also in the Senate at the time and she voted against the Iraq War.

To the editor: Feinstein
has made a highlight-free Senate career out of the feckless "third way"
triangulation that treats bipartisanship as though it were an end in
and of itself.

She lost my vote in 2002 when she
voted for the Iraq War. Now, she says we should give the
race-baiter-in-chief a chance. What brave, bipartisan sentiment.

California has now wasted 25
years of precious Senate representation on someone who thinks the best
outcome is the precise midpoint between right and wrong. Feinstein needs
to retire, but since she refuses to do what's best for her
constituents, I'll be casting a vote to send her packing.

Branden Frankel, Encino

Feinstein has remained in office all this time because she's never had a
serious challenger. Now she does: Democrat Kevin de Leon who is
currently the leader in the California state senate. The primary is in
June and Dianne will likely be on the general ballot in November. But
this is California and our state doesn't operate like every other
state. The June primary? The top two vote getters -- regardless of
party i.d. -- will be on the November ballot. If the primary were held
today, the top two would probably be Kevin de Leon and Dianne
Feinstein.

Then de León launched into a list
of policies he would never vote for, obliquely highlighting some of the
most controversial moments of Feinstein’s tenure in the Senate:
supporting school vouchers in Washington D.C., authorizing the Iraq War,
and voting for a law that allows intelligence agencies to sweep up
Americans’ communications without a warrant as they are spying on
foreign nationals. De León also criticized Feinstein for using young
undocumented immigrants as “bargaining chips” with Trump.

“I’m running because California’s
greatness comes from acts of human audacity, not congressional
seniority,” he said. “Who do you trust to have the courage of your
convictions?”

Kevin was on CSPAN's WASHINGTON JOURNAL yesterday.

While he was talking about how we move forward, the state was reminded
last night of how Dianne Feinstein is our past and not a pleasant past
at all.

Dianne stood for -- and continues to stand for -- the Iraq War.

That would be the ongoing war, that would be the war that cost another 7 US lives yesterday.

JUST IN: All 7 US military members on board a helicopter that crashed Thursday in western Iraq near the Syrian border were killed, a US military official says cnn.it/2FE93UU

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Again, thanks Dianne Feinstein. You made your choices. Your choices
came with consequences. Others have paid for their choices, it's time
Dianne did as well.

Tomorrow, THE DAYTONA BEACH NEWS-JOURNAL will run their count of the US
service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's one of the few US
outlets that regularly notes the US dead in these wars. Their count
should be 4542. The seven who've died from the helicopter crash will
bring the total number of US service members who've died in Iraq since
the 2003 invasion to 4542.

Let's do some more figures because the US media ignores those killed in Iraq -- the Iraqi civilians and the US service members.

We are in the third month of 2018. And? Already more US service
members have died in Iraq in 2018 than died in 2012 in Iraq, than died
in 2013 in Iraq, than died in 2014, than died in 2015, than died in
2017. Of recent years? Only 2016 has had more deaths. That number is
17. We're only in the third month of the year and the number of US
service members who have died in Iraq for the year is 9.

Along with the seven from last night's crash, two had already passed in
Iraq: Sgt Christina Marie Schoenecker and Spc Javion S. Sullivan.

Melanie's "Till They All Get Home" (first appears on her album CRAZY LOVE):

Senator Dianne Feinstein turns 85 this year (June 22nd). She's gotten
to live a long life. How sad that her actions have ensured that so many
others did not have that same opportunity. She's supported this war --
this ongoing war -- since 2002.

Time should be up for Dianne when it comes to serving in the Senate. She should be sent packing.